Sometimes I feel here that I will never truly fully be part of the family because of the language barrier

Like beyond understanding and speaking the language, it's different culturally-wise, the way of using the language for the native speakers. It is not just about using the words or grammar, but there is another deeper layer of understanding and humoring that only natives have and perhaps some rare outsiders that have a strong language skill.

How do you relate with this ?

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FreddieUK · 70-79, M

I am a native English speaker and studied to degree level, but some of the English on here baffles me, so a dictionary of modern slang and usage is consulted regularly. Culture in the various English speaking countries, and indeed within them, varies widely, so don't worry about feeling not truly a part of this 'community'. It doesn't really exist except as a concept.

Boeing · 36-40

@FreddieUK yes I am understanding that, thank you... also Oldersometimeswiser brought another good argument of how all families are imperfect and that was a good example too.

CrazyMusicLover · 31-35

I'm surprised that I feel integrated quite well. Maybe I'm just delusional, lol. 😆 I'm always learning something new, of course, but it's fascinating to me how most of English puns or references to notoriously known movie scenes I learned on here. Not from movies, not from Youtube or books. Here on SW.

Of course, sometimes not being able to share memes or use the cultural phrases from my native language makes me sad. But it's more like...I know their references but they don't know mine.

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ninalanyon · 61-69, T

@CrazyMusicLover OK. I'm not going to claim that I now understand Czech culture but the video was fun.

I think Známka Punku is probably not directly translatable but that's probably more because punk in different countries played out differently. I mean the US had the Ramones, UK had the Sex Pistols; both called punk but to me the Ramones sound like the Beach Boys in comparison.

The words for bread and other baked goods can be very confusing and Google takes no account of location, context and history. To me a bun is a sweet bread roll containing sultanas, raisins, or currants and is more or less spherical, where my wife comes from they are called cookies, in America cookies are what both I and my wife would call biscuits while what the Americans call biscuits are more like scones where I come from except that in the US they are served as part of a savoury meal with gravy while I would butter them or serve them with clotted cream and jam.

We are all confused anyway even when we nominally speak the same language so some interlingual, cross cultural, confusion will just add to the gaiety of nations (and we really need some gaiety of nations just now).

CrazyMusicLover · 31-35

@ninalanyon I don't know why but I'd call a bread bun something round. Possibly because I associate a bun with the sweet one with a filling. And bread roll because it's literally rolled into that shape. Here they are called "horns" though.

ninalanyon · 61-69, T

@CrazyMusicLover It gets extra confusing when you have related words in closely related languages such as English and Norwegian. I'm pretty sure that English loaf and Norwegian loff stem from the same original word. But English loaf only really describes the shape (you can have a sugarloaf and that has nothing at all to do with bread) and loaf of bread translates as brød while Norwegian loff is a specific type of plain white bread.

Mamapolo2016 · F

This is not a direct response, but there are several YouTube channels that feature village people (often India or Pakistan) reacting, mostly, to Western music, movies, etc.

It is fascinating to me how much of the meaning they can identify even though they don’t understand the lyrics. I think there’s a kind of empathy that doesn’t need language. Language is faster, maybe, and more layered. With language you may be able to identify the kind of emotion displayed. (happy, laughing, greeting, are usually tied to a positive emotion conveyed by sniling).

OlderSometimesWiser · F

You make an interesting point and I suppose it may be true to some extent. But at the same time, I find that many native speakers are devoid of deeper understanding and humor so I say most of us, including you, are just an imperfect part of this imperfect family. 🙂

Boeing · 36-40

@OlderSometimesWiser thank you, you are right, families are imperfect, that is true 🩷

unsociableAnthony

Yup, that's also how I feel about spanish speakers even though I speak Spanish as a second language.

If you are new to the US for example, you will never be fluent unless you live here and even if you did because you didn't have your life here and don't know what it was like to trade a fruit roll up for a sandwich at lunch in Kindergarten you will never "get" the culture.

Nobody can teach you these things.

For this reason I long gave up on the idea of ever being fluent in Spanish as a second language. I can even speak it well and even if I became amazing at it, I would never know what a life in Mexico was like.

Boeing · 36-40

@unsociableAnthony I guess we are all foreign up to some degree...<3

unsociableAnthony

@Boeing even my dad is like this

he's from China but lived here for 40 years now and this whole time even though his English is perfect, you cannot take the Chinese out of him, nor can you ever make him really American even he tries so hard to integrate to hilarious effect lol

He doesn't get the little nuances of how something sounds when its slightly off

This is a super interesting topic to me because I am half chinese and half mexican, grew up in the Uk, but live in the US and know quite a lot about this feeling

QCDog2659 · 61-69, M

I have had friends and close associates from other cultures, where English is not their native tongue.

All of us realize that there are, and almost certainly will always be, differences in communication.

Our patience and desire to learn have led us to communicate better.

Boeing · 36-40

@QCDog2659 yes of course it all comes down to that, our willingness, our characters and compatibility, I wouldn't say my best friends are greek either, I have a wide range of friends from different nationalities, it is though a valid subject.. that's all there is to it!

BluntSm0ker · 100+, M

What's you're native language?

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